The floor of the bedroom was covered with a soft carpet, and the legs and corners of the table were wrapped in soft silk.
Gu Jianli sat at the dressing table, letting Ji Wujing paint her nails. She kept her eyes on her little daughter, who was crawling around on the carpet.
“Done.” Ji Wujing released her hand.
Only then did Gu Jianli withdraw her gaze and look down at her own fingers. Her fair, slender fingers were lightly curled, and her nails were painted with bright red dye, looking vibrant.
She blew on her fingertips, then shook her wrist. Once the dye was completely dry, she waved to Xiao Xiao, “Nan Nan, stop crawling around and come over to mommy.”
Xiao Xiao looked up, her eyes fixated on Gu Jianli’s bright red nails, staring in a daze.
“Come here,” Gu Jianli waved again.
Xiao Xiao finally got up and walked towards Gu Jianli step by step. She reached Gu Jianli, softly hugged her leg, and pressed her face against Gu Jianli’s knee.
Gu Jianli patted her head and tidied her somewhat messy hair, tying it into two small pigtails. While fixing her little daughter’s hair, she talked to Ji Wujing, “Our Nan Nan is almost two years old, and she usually walks very well. Why doesn’t she like walking?”
After finishing her daughter’s hair, Gu Jianli bent down, picked her up onto her lap, and felt her little legs and ankles, puzzled, “Is it hurting somewhere?”
Ji Wujing chuckled and casually said, “She’s just lazy.”
Xiao Xiao looked up at him, tilted her head, and softly lay in Gu Jianli’s arms. Her small hand reached out to touch Gu Jianli’s nails. She pointed at Gu Jianli’s red nails with her tiny finger and said, “Want.”
“No, Nan Nan is still young. If you eat it, your tummy will hurt.”
Xiao Xiao furrowed her little brows and still said, “Want.”
Gu Jianli hesitated for a moment and then gently coaxed her, “Then Nan Nan must promise mommy not to eat your fingers. If mommy sees you doing it, I’ll wash it off immediately.”
“Okay.” Xiao Xiao played with Gu Jianli’s fingers and reluctantly agreed.
Gu Jianli smiled and handed her small hand to Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing glanced at her and asked, “Why me? I don’t know how to paint nails for children.”
“Nonsense, you painted Lan Lan’s nails when she was little.”
Xiao Xiao, sitting on Gu Jianli’s lap, gently swung her short legs. She leaned forward, trying hard to get close to Ji Wujing, and extended her hand to him.
Ji Wujing looked at the tiny fingers in front of him and, without further comment, took the dye and started painting her tiny nails.
Her little hand was so small, and her nails were tiny, requiring extra care while painting. Ji Wujing applied the dye with great patience. He glanced up at his little daughter and then returned his focus.
Xiao Xiao tilted her little head and slowly said, “Mommy, daddy is secretly looking at me.”
Gu Jianli couldn’t help but laugh, “Because Nan Nan is beautiful.”
Xiao Xiao blinked and thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously. “Yes, beautiful.”
Ji Wujing responded with a soft snort.
After painting Xiao Xiao’s nails, Ji Wujing gently blew on her tiny hand. He blew twice, frowned, and let go, saying sternly, “Blow it yourself.”
Xiao Xiao blinked and extended her little hand to Gu Jianli. “Mommy, you blow it. Nan Nan doesn’t want to blow it herself.”
“Okay, mommy will blow it for you.” Gu Jianli’s eyes were tender as she held her daughter’s small hand and gently blew on the nail polish.
Ji Wujing leaned back lazily against the dressing table, watching the mother and daughter with interest. He naturally placed his hand on Gu Jianli’s shoulder.
“Why doesn’t my emperor brother come to see me?” Xiao Xiao asked slowly.
“Didn’t your emperor brother come just a few days ago?”
Xiao Xiao tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then counted on her fingers. After she figured it out, she nodded. “Oh, he came six days ago. But it’s been six days already.”
Xiao Xiao stood up on Gu Jianli’s lap, shakily hugging her mother’s neck.
Gu Jianli patted her back and gently soothed her, “Your emperor brother is very busy. He will come to see Nan Nan when he has time.”
After a series of “thump, thump, thump” knocks on the door, a little head peeked in from behind the door.
Gu Jianli waved him in. “Heng Heng, come in.”
Heng Heng then walked in and said, “I was playing in the pavilion on the mountain and saw Madam Yu bringing the young master of the Yu family over. They will be here soon.”
Heng Heng is the son of Changsheng and Jixia, already four years old.
Gu Jianli kissed her little daughter’s hand and smiled. “Your brother Lizhou is coming to play with you.”
Xiao Xiao responded with an uninterested “Oh.”
Just as Gu Jianli was about to stand up with Xiao Xiao in her arms, Ji Wujing held her hand and said, “Don’t go to the front hall. Let’s meet here.”
Saying this, he got up and intended to leave.
Gu Jianli knew that Ji Wujing was concerned because the front hall was not carpeted and he didn’t want their little Nan Nan to get hurt.
Yu Lizhou is the son of Long Yujun, the same age as Heng Heng, only slightly older by two or three months.
In the first two years, Long Yujun rarely took Yu Lizhou out. It was only this year that he started bringing him along when visiting the national father’s residence.
Gu Jianli welcomed them in, and she and Long Yujun sat by the window, sipping tea and chatting. Xiao Xiao, Yu Lizhou, and Heng Heng played on the carpet.
Xiao Xiao lay on the carpet, playing with a set of ivory-carved figurines given to her by her emperor brother. Heng Heng and Lizhou sat beside her watching. Heng Heng was very clever, while Yu Lizhou was delicate and quiet, like a little girl.
In the spring, Xiao Xiao developed an interest in clay figurines. However, clay figurines were fragile, and Ji Wujing thought they were dirty and didn’t allow her to play with them. Ji Xinglou then had the royal craftsmen create this set of ivory-carved figurines. They were the same size as the usual clay figurines but made of precious ivory, smooth and delicate to the touch.
“These are really beautiful. Princess, may I touch them?” Yu Lizhou asked politely.
“No,” Xiao Xiao said, arranging her ivory figurines meticulously, clearly not interested in engaging with him.
Yu Lizhou’s face immediately turned red, and he lowered his head.
Long Yujun shook her head, “Lizhou, don’t compete with the princess for toys. Find something else to play with.”
“Yes, I understand,” Yu Lizhou replied obediently. He stood up and went to the small table full of toys. Without sitting back down, he picked up a colorful clay rattle from the table and gave it a gentle shake, producing a clear, pleasant sound.
Xiao Xiao’s attention was immediately drawn to the sound, and she looked up at the clay rattle in Yu Lizhou’s hand.
“Princess, do you want one? If you do, I can get another for you,” Heng Heng offered.
Xiao Xiao ignored Heng Heng as well. She abandoned her ivory figurines, pushing herself up from the fluffy carpet and slowly walked towards Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli tucked a soft strand of hair behind Xiao Xiao’s ear and asked, “Nan Nan, what do you want?”
“Sister. I want sister.”
“Your sister is still in class. You can see her at noon.”
Xiao Xiao was visibly disappointed, refusing Gu Jianli’s offer to hold her, and slowly returned to her toys.
Long Yujun remarked sincerely, “The princess is so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a lovely child, like a precious gem. She already looks so exquisite; I can’t imagine how stunning she’ll be when she grows up. By then, your title of the most beautiful will surely pass to her.”
She looked at Gu Jianli and continued, “Naturally, with such striking parents, the princess is bound to be beautiful.”
“No, no,” Gu Jianli shook her head repeatedly. “I can’t take any credit for this. This child, in both appearance and temperament, doesn’t resemble me at all.”
This was indeed true. Long Yujun nodded and then suggested, “Well, daughters often resemble their fathers and sons their mothers. If you have a son, he will surely look like you.”
Gu Jianli hesitated and then said, “We don’t plan to have another child for now.”
Long Yujun looked at Gu Jianli in surprise.
Childbirth is often a dangerous ordeal, and no one willingly wants to go through it. If Xiao Xiao were a boy, not planning for another child would be understandable. But Xiao Xiao was a girl and even bore the surname Gu. Long Yujun had assumed that this was because there would be a younger brother in the future.
Long Yujun couldn’t help but advise, “Don’t blame me for speaking out of turn, but while childbirth is indeed difficult and can harm a woman’s body, having a son to rely on is always beneficial.”
Gu Jianli shook her head gently with a smile, speaking frankly, “Sister Yujun, it’s not that I mind, it’s that he doesn’t want another child.”
Long Yujun was taken aback. However, knowing it was a deeply personal matter, she didn’t press further and changed the subject to lighter topics with Gu Jianli.
Near noon, Ji Xinglou unexpectedly arrived at the residence.
At ten years old, Ji Xinglou had already grown into a tall, upright young boy, walking steadily along the long path of the courtyard.
Xiao Xiao, who was lying on the carpet, looked up and saw Ji Xinglou’s figure through the open door. She immediately dropped her toy, got up, and ran towards Ji Xinglou.
“Brother!”
When Ji Xinglou saw Xiao Xiao running towards him, his expression instantly softened. The arrogant young emperor shed his cold, stern demeanor and bent down to pick up his little sister.
Xiao Xiao stretched out her hand to Ji Xinglou.
A moment ago, Ji Xinglou’s eyes held a gentle smile, but now he let out a cold snort. “You little rascal, do you miss your brother, or are you just looking forward to the gift your brother brings?”
Xiao Xiao pouted and looked at Ji Xinglou in silence.
She didn’t like to lie, and when she couldn’t tell the truth, she would put on an innocent pout.
Ji Xinglou said irritably, “I brought you a gift. Xiao Zhao will deliver it in a while.”
Only then did Xiao Xiao’s lips curl into a smile.
Long Yujun took Yu Lizhou and bowed to Ji Xinglou, finding an excuse to leave. As soon as they left, Gu Jianli instructed Yuanping to find a craftsman to make a similar set of ivory figurines for Yu Lizhou.
Heng Heng, somewhat afraid of Ji Xinglou, took advantage of the distraction and quietly ran out of the room.
“Where is Lanlan?” Ji Xinglou looked around and frowned.
“She’s in class and will be back at noon. I already sent someone to fetch her, and she should be back soon,” Gu Jianli replied.
Ji Xinglou said, “When I’m not home, you’re not allowed to bully her.”
Gu Jianli laughed at his words and asked, “Who’s bullying her, me or your father, or little Nan Nan?”
Ji Xinglou lowered his eyes and looked at the little sister in his arms. She was reaching out to touch the ferocious dragon on Ji Xinglou’s dark robe.
“Hey, Gu Xiao, don’t bully your sister, got it?”
“Nan Nan never bullies me,” Kang Xinglan said, panting as she ran in. She ran to Ji Xinglou, extending her arms towards Xiao Xiao, who cooperatively reached out, allowing her sister to carry her away and snuggle softly in her arms.
“I barely get to come home, and you still fight with me,” Ji Xinglou pretended to be angry.
Kang Xinglan glanced at him, then looked away without responding, continuing to talk with Xiao Xiao.
Ji Xinglou slowly moved over, patted Kang Xinglan’s head, and said, “Why aren’t you growing taller? You’re still so short.”
“It’s because brother is growing too fast,” Kang Xinglan said, looking at Xiao Xiao as she spoke.
Ji Xinglou frowned, feeling that Kang Xinglan had been avoiding him recently and wasn’t as close to him as before.
Ji Xinglou’s face darkened, and he became unhappy.
Gu Jianli witnessed everything and smiled, waving at Kang Xinglan, “Lanlan, look at you, you ran back so fast that you’re sweating. Don’t hold your sister anymore.”
She took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off Kang Xinglan’s forehead.
Soon, it was time for lunch, and the family gathered to eat. Gu Jianli kept asking Ji Xinglou about the palace and court matters. Since she became pregnant, she had handed over all the state affairs to Wen Jingshan. However, every time she saw Ji Xinglou, she still had to ask a few more questions.
Whatever she asked, Ji Xinglou answered.
At the dining table, only the two of them were talking.
Kang Xinglan was always quiet, obediently and silently eating her meal.
Xiao Xiao sat beside Gu Jianli, carefully holding a spoon to eat her porridge.
Ji Wujing glanced at Xiao Xiao, secretly took her bowl of deer milk, drank a sip, and placed it back. After finishing her porridge, Xiao Xiao wanted to drink the deer milk. She looked at the gently swaying milk in the bowl, blinked, and was puzzled.
Why is there less?
“My milk, my milk,” Xiao Xiao tugged at Gu Jianli’s sleeve.
Gu Jianli glanced at Ji Wujing and immediately understood. She covered up for him, “Drink a little less today and eat more of something else.”
“Oh,” Xiao Xiao dragged out the word and didn’t think further. She picked up the white bowl and drank in big gulps, as if the milk would disappear if she didn’t drink it quickly.
Ji Wujing smirked, placing his hand on the back of Gu Jianli’s chair, his fingers lightly tapping her back.
Ji Xinglou was busy talking to Gu Jianli and ended up being the last one to finish eating. After the meal, fresh fruits and soft, fragrant desserts were brought in.
After a while, Kang Xinglan stood up and said properly, “I need to go back to my room to prepare. I have class soon.”
“We’ve barely said a few words, and you’re already leaving?” Ji Xinglou was instantly upset. He was holding a ceramic rattle to entertain Xiao Xiao. Angrily, he threw the rattle aside.
Xiao Xiao, sitting on his lap, was momentarily stunned.
“My ball, my ball,” Xiao Xiao suddenly leaned over, grabbed Ji Xinglou’s hand, and bit down hard on the back of his hand.
Ji Xinglou remained silent, not even flinching.
“Nan Nan,” Gu Jianli hurriedly pulled Xiao Xiao up, pretending to spank her.
“Don’t! She’s only two and doesn’t know any better,” Ji Xinglou quickly pushed Gu Jianli away and took Xiao Xiao back onto his lap, handing her the retrieved ceramic rattle from a maid.
“She’s too naughty,” Gu Jianli frowned and shook her head.
“So what? I was even naughtier when I was her age,” Ji Xinglou said nonchalantly. “My little sister can be as naughty as she wants. I’ll protect her no matter what.”
Gu Jianli couldn’t help but worry, fearing that Ji Xinglou would spoil Xiao Xiao too much.
Kang Xinglan glanced at Ji Xinglou’s hand, then said properly again, “Daughter will leave now.”
“Your brother is home today. Don’t go to class this afternoon. Take a leave,” Gu Jianli said.
Kang Xinglan hesitated before saying, “But I need to personally ask for leave so that the teacher doesn’t make the trip in vain.”
Gu Jianli agreed.
Suddenly, Ji Xinglou put Xiao Xiao down and ran after Kang Xinglan, grabbing her. Kang Xinglan stumbled and almost fell.
Kang Xinglan quickly stood properly and asked, “Brother, what’s wrong?”
Ji Xinglou directly asked, “Why are you ignoring me?”
“I heard you were coming home, so I took leave and rushed back to see you. I haven’t been ignoring you.”
“Yes, you have,” Ji Xinglou poked her forehead. “What’s your problem? What did I do to make you angry? Tell me, is it because I’m good to Xiao Xiao and you’re upset?”
“No, how could it be because of Xiao Xiao? Don’t wrong me,” Kang Xinglan hastily denied, her eyes reddening.
Ji Xinglou’s face darkened as he questioned, “If you won’t tell me, I’ll just wrong you, so what?”
“Brother, don’t be unreasonable. I need to go ask the teacher for leave now.”
Inside, Gu Jianli watched the two children’s backs and slowly frowned, asking somewhat puzzled, “Are these two kids having a tiff?”
Ji Wujing casually replied, “The little girl has grown up and understands the differences between men and women. She also remembers Xinglou’s innocent promise from when he was a child.”
Gu Jianli was stunned, a memory surfacing of a few years ago when Xinglan joyfully ran up to her, saying happily, “Brother said that when I grow up, I’ll marry him. That way, even if I’m not his sister, I can be with him every day.”
Back then, the two children didn’t understand the meaning of those words.
Now, the sensitive Xinglan understood, while Xinglou, with all his intelligence focused on state affairs, still treated Xinglan as a little sister.
Gu Jianli frowned, thinking for a long time before turning to Ji Wujing and saying sincerely, “I didn’t expect you to notice. I hadn’t realized Lanlan had grown up.”
Ji Wujing let out a laugh, looking smug as if he were the smartest person in the world.
Ji Xinglou returned to the room in a sulk, sitting on the plush carpet and playing with Xiao Xiao.
As they played, Xiao Xiao suddenly bit Ji Xinglou’s hand again. This time it hurt, and he pretended to be fierce to scare her, “If you keep misbehaving, be careful, or mom and dad will have another daughter.”
Just then, Kang Xinglan, having returned from asking for leave, arrived at the door.
Ji Wujing glanced at Kang Xinglan and nonchalantly said, “I already have two daughters.”
Xiao Xiao, distracted by a toy, didn’t pay much attention to Ji Xinglou and Ji Wujing’s words. But Kang Xinglan, standing at the door, looked up in surprise at Ji Wujing, her eyes quickly reddening. She quickly lowered her head, suppressing her mixed feelings, and walked in with a smile.
Gu Jianli called Kang Xinglan over and had her sit beside her.
Ji Xinglou paused, suddenly thinking of something. After a moment of silence, he said, “Lanlan, come back to the palace with me later. Stay with me there.”
Kang Xinglan was about to refuse, but before she could speak, Ji Wujing interrupted, “Dream on.”
Ji Xinglou was stunned, not expecting Ji Wujing to refuse. He asked directly, “Why?”
Ji Wujing glanced at him, saying casually, “If you want to marry my daughter, you need to go through proper channels with matchmakers, a grand wedding procession, and a proper status to bring her into the palace. And from now on, stop touching and pulling her. If I see you pulling Lanlan again, I’ll break your hands.”
Ji Xinglou’s eyes widened, dumbfounded and unable to respond for a long time. What on earth was his father talking about?
Kang Xinglan kept her head down, her eyes red. She leaned slightly on Gu Jianli.
Ji Wujing looked at Kang Xinglan, feeling a bit regretful.
Lanlan’s sweet, innocent face was still fresh in his memory.
But unfortunately, he hadn’t paid enough attention to her when she was young, causing her to suffer a lot of grievances in her naive years. And Lanlan had grown up too fast; he hadn’t had time to spoil her before she matured.
After returning to the palace, Ji Xinglou kept thinking about Ji Wujing’s words. What was going on? Why couldn’t he even hold hands anymore? And breaking his hands? That was unreasonable. He had been holding his sister’s hand since she was a child.
That night, Gu Jianli put Xiao Xiao to sleep and handed her to the nurse. She was tired and leaned against the bed. Xiao Xiao wasn’t a clingy child, but she disliked sleeping, requiring Gu Jianli to coax her to sleep every day, which took considerable effort.
Ji Wujing returned from the bath, casually draped in a loose robe, the belt loosely tied. He extinguished the lamp and lay down beside Gu Jianli, naturally pulling her into his arms, his hand gently caressing her soft waist.
Gu Jianli felt a little itchy, smiled and turned around to face him. When Ji Wujing wanted to kiss her, she reached out and covered Ji Wujing’s mouth.
“Let’s talk about something serious.”
Ji Wujing casually replied, “Hmm,” held Gu Jianli’s wrist, and brought her slender fingertips to his lips, playfully nibbling on them.
“Are we going to use contraceptives in the future?” Gu Jianli asked.
Ji Wujing’s playful nibbling on Gu Jianli’s fingertips paused briefly. He pulled up one corner of his lips and smiled. Leaning closer to her, he teasingly asked, “So, you want uninterrupted intimate contact with your uncle?”
Gu Jianli pushed him away and said, “No way.”
“Isn’t it?” Ji Wujing got up, pressing Gu Jianli down and starting to remove her clothes.
“Stop fooling around and talk business,” Gu Jianli said.
“Alright, I’m listening.” As Ji Wujing spoke slowly, he had already taken off Gu Jianli’s clothes, pinched her feet, and played with her tiny toes.
Feeling itchy, painful, and numb, Gu Jianli kicked Ji Wujing in the face, making him sigh helplessly.
“Gu Jianli, don’t kick my face. You can play with everything else and even take my life, but don’t touch my face.”
“You’re so ugly.” Gu Jianli teased him with a laugh.
Ji Wujing’s face darkened, he pulled her up, pinched her chin, and said, “Say it again.”
Gu Jianli straddled his lap, draped her arms around his shoulder, and asked, “Are we really not going to have children anymore?”